


The Bastard King and the Murderous Queen

by Persuade_me



Series: Arya/Gendry Week 2019 [7]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, King Gendry, Queen Arya, axgweek, axgweek2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 00:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20282191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persuade_me/pseuds/Persuade_me
Summary: The unnamed Dornish Prince attends court.Or how things should have gone.Follow up to "A Better Story"Written for Arya/Gendry Week. Day 7 - Because I can.





	The Bastard King and the Murderous Queen

**Author's Note:**

> It will help if you read "A Better Story" first. It's not very long, but if you don't want to bother with it here's what you should know. 
> 
> The unnamed Dornish prince is snarky and bored, can't bother to remember anyone's name, and is seemingly the only person in King's Landing who realizes how much Arya and Gendry get it on.

He’s not sure why he agreed to this, representing Dorne at court. Princess Arianne is going to owe him at least three fruit baskets for agreeing to take her place. _ Again. _ The good kind, with fireplums, winter cherries, and all those exotic fruits from Essos, not the ones you can find at every shop in Dorne. 

He leans back against a pillar and looks around at the various nobles standing around the temporary throne room. From his vantage point at the side of the room near the thrones, he can see almost everyone. Which is useful for observing and picking up on the gossip to take back home to Dorne.

The petitions have been going on for ages, and if they don’t end soon, he’s fairly certain someone’s going to die. Probably the former sellsword twat desperately in need of a bath that was currently standing in front of the thrones begging for Highgarden. 

“But your grace, Lord Tyrion promised me,” The sellsword twat was whining. 

The newly crowned queen just stared at him. “On behalf of the dragon queen,” she said slowly, as if speaking to a very small child. “Do you see any dragons here?” She held her arms out to either side. “You are extraordinarily fortunate, Ser Bronn, that I have not cut your throat where you stand.” 

At these words, the bastard king shifted uncomfortably in his throne, crossing his legs. Another might have thought it from uneasiness or a fear of violence, but he recognizes the hitch in the bastard king’s breath and the dark look on his face for what it was, raging arousal.

At first, he’d been amused by the blatant way the bastard king and murderous queen had practically eye fucked each other at every opportunity, her propensity for violence seemingly turning him on more than anything else, especially since no one else at court seemed to pick up on it. But even he had to admit that it was getting ridiculous, how often the bastard king abruptly ended court whenever she threatened to kill someone. He’d been in King’s Landing for a fortnight, and there hadn’t been a day yet where court had gone on for the scheduled amount of time.

He isn’t complaining, though. It gives him far more time to acquaint himself with the new brothels currently popping up around the city. And from the looks of things, he’s likely going to be heading off to a new one very soon.

“You have jumped from side to side and back again. You rode north, under orders from Cersei Lannister to kill her brothers only to promptly change allegiance again when promised a castle that was not Tyrion’s to promise. Did you think that the Tyrell cousins were going to just give up their family’s seat without a fight? Or that the lords of the Reach would accept you? Did you honestly think that a man with loyalty freely available to the highest bidder would be granted the position of Lord Paramount? Would you like to serve as Master of Coin as well?”

The sellsword began to speak, but the queen cuts him off. “You will not be given Highgarden, but do not let it be said that the crown is not lenient when necessary nor that we do not honor debts, even ones that Gendry and I did not incur. Lord Tyrion promised you a castle for your service to him, and although the Lord of Casterly Rock has no more business in King’s Landing, the crown is in debt to Lord Tyrion. For your service to him, you will be granted the title of Lord of the Crossing as the Twins is currently without a master. I believe that two castles should suffice to repay the debt. Do you agree, Lord Bronn?” 

“Can I still charge people to cross the bridge?” the sellsword now lord asked. 

“Within reason.”

“There’s a lot of Freys left there. What’m I supposed to do with them?” 

“As you’ll discover, Lord Bronn, all the Freys left are women and children. I believe several of them are quite pretty, if you’d care to marry one. And it would probably make them much more agreeable to you as their lord if you didn’t just chuck them all out.”

“Right then, guess I’ve got me a castle.”

He watches as the sellsword lord turned to go, disappointed that the queen hadn’t threatened anything else. Court was scheduled to last another two hours, and he’d been hoping for a repeat of the day before when a minor lord from the Riverlands had all but called the bastard king emasculated for allowing the queen to handle most of the realm’s business. 

The knife that had appeared between the man’s feet out of nowhere, and the spitting rage that spilled from her mouth had brought the bastard king to his feet in seconds. 

If he’d thought her violent tendencies turned on the king, it was nothing compared to the look on the murderous queen’s face when the bastard king had dressed down that lord in front of everyone. He’d honestly thought she might drop to her knees in front of everyone from the way she was eyeing the king. 

“Lord Bronn?” The queen was speaking again.

The sellsword lord turns back around. “Yes, your grace?”

“In the event that you ever decide that two castles with a steady stream of income is not enough for you, I want you to recall what happened to the last Lord of the Crossing, and understand how I deal with those who betray my family.”

Oh. 

_ Oh. _

_ Ohhhhh. _

_ Oh, shit. _

A moment later, the penny drops for others, and he hears several audible gasps around the room.

The bastard king surged to his feet.

And there it was.

“I believe that’s enough for today,” the king’s voice is strangled. “We’ll resume tomorrow after lunch with the appointment of the new grandmaester elected by the Citadel. Now everyone, please go enjoy the rest of the day.”

He sees the queen roll her eyes, but he also notices the way her breathing had quickened. _ Gods, didn’t they ever get tired of each other? _

“You can’t keep doing that, Gendry,” he hears her say in fond exasperation as he turns to follow the crowd.

“Yes, I can. Who’s going to stop me?”

Whatever else the bastard king says is lost in the babble of the court as everyone shuffles to the exit, and he ends up eavesdropping on the two young knights walking in front of him.

“Hey, did you hear about the Unsullied trying to go to Naath?”

“Naath?! Do they have a death wish? That place is toxic to anyone not born there!”

The shorter knight shrugs. “Guess they don’t teach geography to slaves in Essos.”

He follows the knights, turning back to glance behind him as he reaches the exit. He’s the last one out, and in the almost empty room, the bastard king’s voice is much louder than he probably intends. 

“Gods, Arya, I know I said I didn’t want you in a dress, but it sure would make things a hell of a lot easier.”

As the door shuts behind him, he hears the murderous queen laugh and then utter a command. 

“Kneel.”


End file.
